Comics and Bagging and Boarding, Oh My!
by kjdawson80
Summary: (Alternate Title: Wherein Regina Mills Probably Supports a Small Town Comic Store Single-handedly While Important Stuff Happens) - When young Henry expressed an interest in comic books, Regina found a way to indulge him in his hobby. She didn't expect his reading habits to thread itself into her own life quite so strongly. (Regina-centric; light spoilers up through S2's finale.)


**Alternate Title:** _Wherein Regina Mills Probably Supports a Small Town Comic Store Single-handedly While Important Stuff Happens_

**Summary:** When young Henry expressed an interest in comic books, Regina found a way to indulge him in his hobby. She didn't expect his reading habits to thread itself into her own life quite so strongly. (Regina-centric; light spoilers up through S2's finale.)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from Once Upon a Time, ABC/Disney, Disney/Marvel, DC Comics, Image, Archaia Studios Press, or Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. "Frank's Castle" and Mr. Bouchard are mine, I guess? This fanwork was created for fun, not profit. Also, a hearty thanks to **WalnutHulls** for editing this for me - all mistakes are mine, not hers!

* * *

If she was completely honest with herself, she had a feeling that the Dark Curse was weakening even before she adopted Henry. How else could Gold have set up the closed adoption? Still, she never tested Storybrooke's boundaries until she left, signed legal documents in hand, to a city a few hours away to pick up her little boy for the first time.

It had been painful, and nauseating, and so very worth it when tiny fingers wrapped themselves around her thumb in a cautious grip.

* * *

She never thought to leave Storybrooke again, until Henry picked up an interest in superheroes. At first he was content to watch them in cartoon form, but as he grew older, he wanted to read about their exploits.

Initially she picked up a few issues at the local drugstore, but due to the repetitive nature of the curse, she quickly ran out of new material to buy for Henry's voracious appetite.

And so Regina found herself driving out to the very town where she first picked up her child, ignoring the intense nausea that plagued her entire drive. She blinked until the dark spots faded from her vision before turning down a side road in search of a parking spot. Eventually she found one, and quickly oriented herself when she stepped out the Mercedes. She scanned the area, and let out a sigh of relief when she saw a weathered sign above a tiny storefront, bearing a faded image of a man in a red cape flying across it.

She stepped in, expecting to find a dingy hole in the wall, but the store was surprisingly well-lit and clean, if a bit cramped. A few pairs of eyes locked on to her; she knew she was overdressed for a place such as the one she found herself in, but the stares still unnerved her.

She moved to the counter, ringing the tiny bell sitting next to the register, and waited.

A middle aged man came up from behind the counter, and blinked owlishly at her behind coke-bottle glasses. "I... ah, sorry. Welcome to Frank's Castle. Can I help you?"

She sized him up, and smirked internally. The cashier was more mouse than man, but hopefully he would serve her needs. "Yes, I believe so," she replied smoothly. "I'm here to pick up some comic books for my son."

"Hmm... okay. Do you know what he's into? We have some Sonic the Hedgehog over here-"

She cut him off with a shake of her head. "I'm looking for superhero comics. Spider-Man, the Hulk... that - oh, what was his name - Man of Iron..?"

"'Man of Iron', huh?" The clerk chuckled. She felt her temper rise at his amusement, sure that he was about to mock her for something. The insult never came as he continued with, "I think you mean 'Iron Man'. Yeah, we have some of those titles, but it's all a jumbled mess right now. If you're looking for something more in line with the movies and cartoons, I can direct you to the kid-friendly titles. Does your kid like DC too, or is he a Marvel fanboy?"

"I... I don't know." Regina furrowed her brows in thought. "He is a fan of the Batman, I believe. He thinks that Superman is too... 'perfect'," she added.

"I see. Batman's been pretty grim lately - most everything has, really - but I'll see what I can find, Miss...?"

She paused, unsure of giving her name to this man, but what harm could he do? "Mills. Regina Mills."

The man nodded. "I'm Mr. Bouchard. I run Frank's Castle. Good to meet you." He gestured over to a few stands, with hundreds of titles lined up for perusal. "Let's see if we can find your kid something he'll enjoy, Miss..." He stuttered as she turned to glare at him. "Erm, **Ms.** Mills."

* * *

"I like how you let Henry read the 'Ultimate' titles, but you can't stand that fairy tale book."

Regina jumped, startled by the sudden intrusion. She clutched the plastic bag a bit closer to her, and turned to glare at the invader. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Swan."

The infuriating blonde shook her head, and walked over to the Benz. "I'm just saying," she drawled, "that those 'Ultimate' comics are pretty intense for a ten year old. His book is pretty tame in comparison."

Regina curled her lips in irritation. "Maybe so, but at least his comics don't paint me as the villain of their stories."

"Point." Emma bent over to pick something up, and Regina realized - to her embarrassment - that she had dropped some of Henry's comics. "Good thing these are bagged; I hated it when my books got messed up. You gonna put those cardboard things in these later?"

The mayor snatched the books out of Emma's hands as soon as she straightened up. "'Cardboard things', Miss Swan?" She gave the sheriff the side eye when the taller woman followed her up the walkway.

The blonde continued following her, oblivious - or flat out ignoring - Regina's ire. "Yeah, they keep the comic books straight. Makes it easier to store them, too, I guess."

"I am well aware of how backing boards work. I can't help but wonder how would you know that, Miss Swan? Did you collect comics during your juvenile delinquency?" They both stopped short at the door, and Emma almost barreled into Regina's smaller form.

The mayor turned to face her rival for Henry's affections, smirk firmly in place, and paused when green eyes met her own. Emma's gaze grew distant for a moment, as though she was looking through Regina, and the blonde smiled a bit sadly. "Yeah, I kind of did, actually."

Regina fell silent, at a loss for words. The pause in conversation went from natural to awkward and uncomfortable in mere seconds, and the other woman took it upon herself to fill it with more pointless chatter. "I didn't read a lot, you know - and I know what you're thinking, Madame Mayor, so save it - just a few Ninja Turtle comics, maybe some Batman... The X-Men were my favorite, though. Reading about a bunch of outcasts that that came from different backgrounds, trying to be heroes... it gave me some hope when I was younger. It didn't hurt that the comics were easy to cart around."

She couldn't help but fall back on old habits. "Seems as though that 'hope' didn't stick very well," she sniped, "seeing as how you ended up in jail, after all."

Emma's gaze turned flinty, and her lips pressed together in a thin line. "You're right about that. Still, at least one good thing came out of it."

Regina's heart contracted painfully at Emma's wistful tone. "Henry."

"Yep." The sheriff stuffed her hands in the pockets of her hideous red jacket, and tilted her head to catch Regina's eye. "Listen, if you're gonna keep letting him read Ultimate X-Men, I just want to let you know that the big metal guy is into other men. I mean, in case that's a problem or something."

"The big metal guy..." Regina thought for a moment. "Colossus? Why would that be a problem?"

"Well, from your answer, I guess it's not." Emma's frown turned into a heartfelt, if tiny, grin. "Still, I thought you should know in case the kid decides to ask you about it."

"I... I doubt Henry will come to me about something like that, but... thank you for the heads up, Miss Swan," she ground out between pursed lips.

"Don't mention it." Emma's smile grew exponentially as she turned to walk back down the walkway, towards the yellow eyesore that passed for a vehicle.

"Don't worry," Regina muttered, already thinking of her next plot to get that insufferable woman out of Henry's life. "I won't."

* * *

She spun the pen between her fingers once, and then again, before sighing and marking down the last entry on the sheet. She was about to put the pen down when her office door opened, startling her. She glared at the intruder, who closed the door behind him. "You said you wanted to see me, Regina?"

"Don't you ever knock? It's as though you were raised in a barn... oh, wait." She sneered slightly, and then shook her head. This wasn't what the visit was about, she reminded herself, as she took a deep breath. "Yes, I... requested your presence, David."

David Nolan - Prince Charming - looked at Regina warily as she gestured to the chair across from her. "Did you find a way to bring Snow and Emma back?"

"I'm afraid not." She paused, as Charming's shoulders slumped in disappointment. She ignored the twinge in her own heart and continued on. "I am still looking into it, of course, for Henry's sake."

The prince glared at her under furrowed brows. "I'm sure. So what's this about, then?"

"Henry's life has been... disrupted, as of late. In an effort to keep at least a bit of normalcy in his childhood, I've been continuing to... to..." She frowned a bit, willing the slight flush of her cheeks to fade away. It didn't work, however, and only got worse when Charming stared at her in confusion. She coughed, and tried again. "Henry and I used to fill out his comic book pre-orders together, before the curse broke. I've been filling out the forms myself lately, and taking them to a tiny comic shop that we've shopped at for the past few years.

"This month's comics just arrived." She neglected to tell Charming that she was the one to drive out and pick them up. "I was wondering if you could take them to Henry for me, and..." Regina paused, and took in a shaky breath. "I was wondering if you could help fill out the rest of the form with him. I expect you to return it to me when you're done, so I may review and submit it."

"Comics?" Charming blinked, stupefied. "You called me here to discuss **comics**?"

"Yes. Henry's comics," she snapped, slapping the pen down on the order form. "I thought that you would be willing to take this task on, since you've taken everything **else** away-"

"Regina-"

"-but _clearly_ trying to keep any semblance of stability is out of the question if it means carrying over old habits from when he lived here." She grabbed the order form and the colorful catalog from her desk, and stalked towards the door. She opened it, and stared straight ahead. "You can see yourself out, I'm sure."

Charming hesitantly stood up, and hovered by the door. She resolutely avoided his gaze. "... it's not that, Regina. It's - well, it's unexpected, that's all." He swallowed. "I mean, I never took you for - I never thought... I mean...

"It's _comics_."

She finally looked over at him, and nodded slightly. "Yes, and Henry loves them."

"Well... I guess I can go over this with you, if you still have the time?" He gestured at the catalog. "What's this called? 'Previews'?"

They went back over to her mahogany desk, where she showed him the titles that Henry deemed "must haves," ones he was interested in trying out, and ones that she felt were too violent for him - she learned her lesson after letting him read "Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk". The time passed as pleasantly as could be expected, if Regina was honest with herself. "... I'll make sure to drop off the storage supplies when the comics come in. I have some here in the attic with the other long boxes. Make sure they're stored properly - we're very meticulous when it comes to bagging and boarding his books."

"'Bagging'? 'Boarding'?" Charming parroted, looking a bit frazzled. "Uh..."

"I refuse to let him stack his comics willy-nilly all over the house. You'd do well to learn about the proper care and storage for them, unless you want your kitchen covered in Uncanny X-Men issues."

The prince nodded, and he looked at the order form again. "I see there are a few books checked off that you didn't include in your list of Henry's books, like 'SAGA'? 'Mouse Guard'? And there are some that have 'two' marked in the 'quantity' box..."

"Well, some of them aren't quite age appropriate now, but he might enjoy them when he's older, and sometimes I order duplicates of certain titles because..." she trailed off, unable to come up with a convincing tale.

Charming started to chuckle, but he trailed off when Regina shot him a look. "Well, I'll make sure we fill these out, and I'll drop it off when we're done. And... you know, maybe he can fill it out with you again when Snow and Emma are back."

Regina smiled sadly. "Perhaps."

* * *

She was scanning the "new arrivals" section when the store manager came out with Henry's monthly stack. "All right, Ms. Mills, looks like we're all set."

Regina turned back to the counter, and she made sure to hand Henry's "Previews" order form over before paying for the comics. She didn't expect to see the order form this month, honestly, but it had been slipped in her mailbox a few days ago. Either Henry or David had done it; there was no way that Miss Swan or that damnable Snow White would have dropped it off. "Thank you, Mr. Bouchard."

Regina flipped through each issue carefully, noting that Henry had started to pick up the newer Superman series, and wondered if she would ever be allowed to give them to her son in person. He lived in Snow White's decrepit apartment and read them with his "real" family now, and she had been reduced to slipping them in his locker at school or leaving them on the doorsteps of the Charming abode.

She was suddenly hit with the irony that Henry had refused to read any of Superman's exploits until recently because the hero had been "too perfect" and "too boring," but resolutely believed that she was nothing more than the Evil Queen.

Her grip tightened on the latest issue of "Action Comics," crinkling the cover.

"Um... Ms. Mills? Is everything okay? You look kinda pale." She jumped slightly, started out of her train of thought by the man behind the counter.

"I'm fine," she said stiffly, sliding the comics in the heavy duty plastic bag. "I'll be back again next month."

She turned towards the door, but could see the manager fidgeting, as though he wanted to say something to her. "Is there something you need, Mr. Bouchard?"

"Ahhh, well. It's just... I know you weren't too keen on the suggestion last time, but driving all the way from your tiny town out here must be a pain in the... well," he said, studiously avoiding her gaze as he flipped through the filled-out order form she had given him moments before. "Are you sure you don't want us to just ship the books to a PO box or something? The solicits come out a week early online, so you could just fill out the Previews electronically and email it to us."

Regina blinked. The curse had been broken, if not completely, and outsiders could now find their way into her town... as Greg Mendell's arrival had proven. Perhaps she could take some small advantage of that fact - if nothing else, she could continue to get Henry's books without leaving the town anymore. She didn't mind the excursions when the curse was intact, despite the crippling nausea induced by leaving the town's borders, but between her mother's presence and Mendell showing up... "You know, Mr. Bouchard, I think I'll take you up on that offer. What do I need to fill out?"

The man grinned, and he gestured for her to come back to the counter. "Well, we have most of your info on file, but I'll need you to fill out a few more things," he said, typing away at his workstation. "Lemme just pull up your account... Looks like I just need an address."

Regina ignored the tears forming in her eyes. "Send them to Henry Mills, care of... of Emma Swan. Her address is..."

* * *

She strained to keep the portal open as long as she could, prying the glowing green wormhole apart with tendrils of purple magic. Emma was straddling the dimensions, holding on to Henry with one hand, and scrambling to anchor herself somehow with the other.

Sweat dripped down her brow, stinging her eyes, but she resolutely ignored it. Regina kept her hands outstretched, magic bleeding from her fingertips as Mr. Gold tried to force the gate to close. She gritted her teeth and pushed, hoping to widen the gaping tear before her, but the damned imp had access to power far beyond her own. She was running out of energy, and they both knew it.

"Regina! You have to **do** something!" Snow White and Charming thrashed helplessly behind her, bound by Rumpelstiltskin's magic.

"What does it look like I'm doing? Pruning my apple tree?" she snarled, bracing herself against the furious blowback of the combining magics. "I'm doing the best I can!"

"The best you can... which just isn't good enough," Rumpelstiltskin mocked. He struck out at Regina with his cane, hoping to catch her off balance. "Then again, you were always second best, weren't you, dearie? Never anyone's first choice, as I recall. Sad, really."

She ignored his taunts, refocusing her energy on keeping the portal open. Something warm started to dribble down her upper lip, and she could taste iron and salt when she flicked her tongue out. Her body was starting to give out, but she couldn't stop. Not yet.

"Regina! I can't lose my daughter again! You have to help her!" Snow shrieked, throwing herself against the invisible force that separated her from the portal's boundaries.

"And I can't lose my son yet _again_," she growled, "so be quiet and let me focus!"

Rumpelstiltskin laughed, the high-pitched giggle of a shattered madman. His form twisted and folded in on itself as the Dark One fully manifested, wrinkled skin giving way to glinting gold scales. "It's so easy to judge, isn't it? So easy to say that power corrupts, that I should have been able to throw it all away like **that**-" he snapped his slim, gnarled fingers, and the portal heaved - "to save my poor Bae, and yet here you are, clinging on to it-"

"-because you're trying to cast them to another world!" She was howling in fury now. "I refuse to lose them to you!"

"More like you refuse to let me go anywhere alone with our kid," Emma grunted, gallows humor lacing her tone. "I can't hold on much longer, Regina!"

Regina saw the truth in it - Emma's bright green eyes were rimmed with red as she tried to anchor herself in both worlds. Bright blue light - True Love's magic - was bleeding off of the blonde Savior in waves into the portal. She could see Emma's magic fortifying her own, as it had in the mines when they stopped the trigger, but Rumpelstiltskin's magic was fueled with madness and grief.

"Let them go, dearie," he murmured, sniping at her violet magic with blackened tendrils of his own power. "Don't let them drag you down." The ice-cold tendrils slithered over her hands, trying to pull her back even further from the portal.

"I'm not abandoning them," she gritted out, and she dug her heels into the twisted ground. She couldn't resist adding, "Not like you abandoned **your** son."

The Dark One swooped in suddenly, and she braced for a blow that never came. The only thing she felt was his breath ghosting over her cheek when he leaned in to whisper:

"Then why don't you follow them?"

Regina gave a start, and her magic flickered. She locked eyes with Henry, whose pupils were blown wide open with fear, and then with Emma, who met her gaze straight on. The blonde looked like she was about to collapse, but she mustered enough energy to give Regina a terse nod.

"Excellent idea, Rumpelstiltskin. Quite possibly the best you've ever had." She wrenched her arm away from the Dark One's desperate, grasping magic, and she gathered her will before snapping that same hand towards his face, blasting him backwards with both force and flame.

What little color Snow had left drained from her cheeks. "You... you're really going with them?"

Regina nodded. "And I'm bringing them back."

She paused, trying to collect her thoughts, but her mind kept blanking. She opened her mouth to say something inspiring, if not reassuring, but the only thing that came to mind was:

"David, make sure to fill out Henry's Previews every month in between dealing with Rumple. I don't want to hunt down back issues right when we return." She paused. "And make sure they're bagged and boarded this time."

Confusion flitted across Charming's face for a moment, and then he nodded in understanding, his lips twitching into a small, relieved grin. Regina slowly drew her magic back into her body, and then she disappeared in a burst of violet smoke and shadow. When she reappeared, she dove forward through the dwindling portal to grasp Emma's outstretched hand in her own.

* * *

There was another burst of shadow, and the three of them stumbled onto a grassy knoll.

"Is everyone alright?" Emma's gaze raked over Regina's body, and then focused on Henry's prone form. "Henry, are you okay?!"

"Yeah, Emma, I'm fine." To prove his point, Henry forced himself up on hands and knees - and nearly bowled Regina over in the process. She grabbed him by the shoulders, and knelt down to look him over.

"Henry! Let me take a look." Regina examined his eyes, and she gingerly brushed her fingers through his hair to feel for any head injuries. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, Mom. Really. See?" He held his hands out, palms up, as if to show Regina - and Emma - that he was okay. "No scratches!"

Emma touched his hands, turning them over in her own. "None that we can see, anyway."

Regina was about to agree, when Henry looked at her in amazement. "That was so cool, by the way."

Emma and Regina exchanged confused glances. "What was 'so cool,' dear?"

"Your teleporting! You were super far away, and then BAMF - you were right with us!" Henry smiled, and shook his head. "It's like you were Nightcrawler! You know, the old Nightcrawler. Not the new one - he's mean."

Regina blinked once. "...'new one'? Didn't Kurt die back in X-Force issue 26?" Emma's low chuckle caught her attention, and she turned to look at the sheriff. "And what is so funny, Miss Swan?"

"Looks like we gotta get your mom up to speed with the Marvel U again, kid," Emma said, and she winked at Henry. "Think we can do that before we get back to Storybrooke?"

"Yeah!" The young boy cheered, and started rattling off something about the Phoenix Force, and the Uncanny Avengers, and so many other things that went over Regina's head.

"Don't worry - we have the trades," Emma whispered in her ear. "We can check them out when we get back home. Also, I made sure to bag and board the latest run of 'SAGA,' so you can catch up on those, too."

Regina whipped her head around to look at Emma, who gave her a shy grin. "What, did you think I forgot to order your books?"

Despite the mess they were in, Regina laughed - a warm, genuine sound that echoed in their new surroundings. "I guess we'll all have a lot of catching up to do when we get back, won't we?"

The blonde nodded at her, and they both smiled when Henry's hand wrapped around Regina's in a firm grip.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I posed a question to **AskYourQueen** on Tumblr about how she was able to obtain Henry's comics, despite the curse being in effect. I guess I caught Her Majesty off guard, because she had to break character to answer me (that's me, either always breaking stuff, or making someone else break it). This started as a humorous (?) attempt to answer my own question, but it kind of got away from me (this also tends to happen a lot). I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
